Moving Images From the Balkans
The international film collection of the Mercer County Library System never fails to excite.
With
many corners of the world represented, it is the ultimate armchair travel
option. No touristy overlook, a chance for exposure to a different language
(even though there are English subtitles, the melody of the foreign sound is
still perceivable), landscapes outside of the immediate home surroundings, life
views that challenge the stereotypes and refresh the mind. Ordering the DVDs
and Blu-rays for the Lawrence Branch collection is one of my favorite monthly
duties as a librarian and I usually finish with the foreign films - to savor
the taste.
Even
though Balkan films (belonging to the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe) are
not a huge part of our international film collection, they bring a special
thrill to me as a native of the Balkans. I also expect this collection to
increase in size, considering the fact that collaborations and developments in
recent years brought numerous projects to fruition, including something as big
as a “Netflix” Balkan cinema version: the Cinesquare platform.
Getting
familiar with Balkan cinema through our library resources is possible in two
ways:
- By borrowing DVDs and Blu-rays from our physical collection.
- By checking out and streaming movies via hoopla.
In both situations, an active library card number is needed. If you do not already have a library card, register for one by visiting your local branch or via the online card application.
Our Mercer County Library System catalog allows a search for movies from the Balkans and the name of a Balkan language should be added to the search request. The following are the main Balkan languages: Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Macedonian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian and Turkish. Even though the territories of Greece and Turkey extend beyond the Balkan Peninsula, their Balkan parts are integral to the Balkan culture.
Library Catalog
To execute a search for DVDs and Blu-rays in our library catalog:
Select “Subject” from the drop-down menu in our “Library Search” catalog and type the following string: foreign films and television programs - name
of language.
For example: foreign films and television programs - Bulgarian.
You will get a list of what we carry in Bulgarian on DVD or Blu-ray.
The same strategy can be applied to films in another Balkan language or in any other foreign language.
For the mobile library catalog search, use our MyMCLSNJ application:
Type the string foreign films and television programs - name of language in the search field, e.g. foreign films and television
programs - Bulgarian.
Then execute the search and you will be able to see a list of movies in Bulgarian on DVD and Blu-ray that our system carries.
For
more precise results, you can narrow down your search by format and subject and
apply the format and subject filters:
hoopla
To search for movies in a foreign
language in hoopla, use the Advanced
search form, choose movies from the format menu and specify the language in the language menu.
My example below uses Croatian as a language.
Hit the submit button and you will have a selection of films in Croatian:
To search for films in a certain language using the mobile version of hoopla, hit the search icon in the lower right corner of the screen:
then proceed to the advanced search option. From the advanced search menu, you can select the format and the language.
The search result will be a set of films in Croatian that you can check out and stream.
Some Personal Picks
In 2019 and early 2020, wild bee
keeper Hatidze captured the hearts of the global audience in this stunning
documentary that won numerous awards, including academy award nominations for
Best Foreign Film and Best Documentary in 2020. Even though the country of
origin is North Macedonia, the language of the film is predominantly Turkish
because Hatidze belongs to a small Turkish minority in North Macedonia.
Sorrowful and enchanting at the same time, the film captures the unpretentious
beauty of a world on the edge of vanishing.
Glory (“Slava”in Bulgarian) can be the state of becoming noticed after an honorable deed, as happens to Tsanko Petrov - a railroad worker who finds millions of Leva (Bulgarian currency) on the train tracks and responsibly turns them over to the police. But it could be also the name of a Sovjet-era wrist watch that carries the inscription of Tsanko’s name - a dear dedication from his deceased father that money cannot buy and modern watch brands cannot replace. What starts as a star recognition of Tsanko’s deed turns into a tragi-comedy with bitter consequences.
Year of the Monkey (Republic of North
Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Kosovo, 2018)
A
pan-Balkan production in multiple languages - Macedonian, Serbian, Albanian,
Bulgarian and even some English, starring the brilliant acting of a monkey.
Coco, an inhabitant of the Skopje Zoo, forms a bond with his zookeeper Tsobe.
One day, Coco escapes and causes a big media sensation, becoming a symbol of
someone who has managed to break away in the quest for freedom. The film is
hilarious, humane and warmly ironic, with breathtaking views of the Balkan
landscape. Directed by Vladimir
Blazevski (North Macedonia).
Consider
also:
- “Aferim!” (Romania, 2015)
- “The Wild Pear Tree” (Turkey, 2018)
- “The Weeping Meadow” (Greece, 2004)
- “Underground” (1995) - a co-production by multiple countries, including the already not existent Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. But as it proves, cinematic masterpieces outlive political maps.
Comments
Post a Comment